Why a scarf isn't the best first project for beginners

It's quickest way for beginners to lose interest in the craft.
- byLivia Gamble

28 Jun
2017

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When learning to knit, it seems only natural that your first project is a scarf.

After all, how hard can it be?

Apparently, that's the problem. As one knitter argued, knitting a scarf is the quickest way for beginners to lose interest in the craft.

In a blog published on Loveknittingt.com, Elizabeth Bagwell explains why beginners should steer clear of scarves.

It’s dull

According to Elizabeth, there are typically 20,000 stitches in a scarf.

"Asking a beginner knitter to do the exact same thing 20,000 times is a great way to ensure that they learn to do that thing well. It’s also really, really dull!" she said.

There’s more to knitting than garter stitch

Scarves are usually knitted with garter stitch. But, as Elizabeth points out, there’s a lot more to knitting than one stitch. "As a result, a beginner working on a scarf can knit for their first hundred hours without learning to purl, never mind throwing in a cable or a deliberate yarn over."